Like Clockwork
by Yami no Kirbie
Summary: AU. Vampires. Legends tell of a monster that lurks deep within the shadows of Pherae Manor, who shows up like clockwork to devour its victims. Enter two reluctant reporters sent to gather information on the supernatural and paranormal...


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Like Clockwork

By Kirbie

Summary: AU. Pherae Manor has been deserted for centuries. Legends tell of a monster that lurks deep within its shadows, who shows up like clockwork every night to devour its victims. None had ever been left alive. Enter two reporters who are forced to stay in the building for a report on the supernatural and paranormal…

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Chapter 1

Always Watching

"_What_?!"

The exclamation echoed throughout the building, making Oswin wince. "Now, Hector, you might want to calm down…"

"_Calm down_? How am I supposed to _calm down_ when you want me to go into the scariest building in this whole city, _just_ for a filler report?"

Oswin sighed. To tell the truth, he had expected nothing less from the temperamental blue-haired youth, but he had _hoped_ for a slightly more neutral response. Sure, it was asking a bit much, but Hector had been begging for more exciting jobs for almost three months. Besides, everyone else had flat-out refused. He didn't blame them, really. He would have too.

He would have to resort to the cheapest trick in the book, then. Most unlike him.

"Are you _scared_?"

The response he got was not very encouraging; Hector emitted an indignant sputter that was not in any way, shape, or form able to be deciphered.

"I hear that Caelin City is sending out a reporter to cover the exact same topic," Oswin continued lightly. "A girl about your age, actually. Is the great Hector going to be beaten by a _girl_?"

"Most definitely not!" Hector declared haughtily. "I'm going to go get my stuff packed now." With that, he turned on his heel and marched out of the room, slamming the door a bit harder than necessary.

Oswin shook his head in amusement and turned back to his papers.

~*~

The next day, Hector lifted his bag and slung it over his shoulder before proceeding down the stairs.

"Morning, Matthew," he greeted as he passed the front desk.

"Why, hello," Matthew replied with an impish smile on his face. "I heard that you were roped into doing the report on Pherae Manor." Before Hector could explode, he added quickly, "I have something for you. It's from Oswin." He leaned down and rummaged around in the cabinets for a bit before producing a sports bag and handing it to Hector.

"What's this?" Hector asked as he unzipped it and looked inside. "Cameras? A laptop? What am I supposed to do with these?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Matthew asked. "Put the cameras in some of the rooms in the manor. They're hooked up to the laptop; wireless, of course. Oswin wants you to monitor the building for any signs of supernatural activity. He also wants a report typed up before you get back. Or at _least_ a lot of detailed notes so someone can do it for you."

Hector groaned. He hated doing reports. "Sure, sure…you know, this laptop looks like Serra's," he remarked as he examined the cover. "Are you sure she's not going to blow because I have it?"

Matthew winced. "Don't worry, I got her all-clear for it, though she nearly busted one of my eardrums while I was trying to reason with her. The catch is, I have to give her _mine_ for as long as you're borrowing hers, so come back alive and with the laptop _intact_, got it? I'm _not_ buying her another one."

Hector smirked. "Got it. Anything else?"

"Well, I thought you might want to be prepared. You _are_ walking into a potential danger zone, you know. You have heard of the…_incidents_ that have occurred so far in there, haven't you?"

Hector nodded. Who hadn't, really? He had actually done a report on one of the more gruesome events himself. But the names had remained unknown to him. In fact, his article had never been published, solely due to lack of information.

"Well, in case you want some more background information…" He reached into one of his drawers and threw Hector a thick sheaf of papers. "I took the liberty of printing this out for you last night. I've also got all of Oswin's notes in there somewhere. I suggest you read that first. Have fun."

Hector grunted. "Do I really have to _read_ all this?" he asked.

"No," Matthew shrugged. "I would _appreciate_ it if you did, Serra _also_ chewed me out for wasting so much paper and 'killing the trees'." He looked disgusted. "I have nothing against trees, but I might just develop a grudge if she keeps going on about 'the poor things'."

Hector had to repress a smirk. "I will," he promised, turning to go.

"Wait, Hector. Take this too. You…know about the danger, and you might want something to protect yourself with…"

It was Matthew's steel sword, the one that had always been proudly hanging above his head while he worked for years. He blew some dust off of it and handed it to Hector.

"Are you sure? I've always preferred something bigger like axes…I don't even know if I can wield a sword. A gun would be much, much better."

"Err, I forgot about that," Matthew said sheepishly. "Take it, though. You might not be able to do much damage, but the point is to defend yourself. If I find a gun, I'll send someone over with it. Maybe the other reporter can teach you something. I heard that she's an expert with the sword."

"We'll see. Thanks for the concern, anyway," Hector said, sliding the sheath into his belt.

"Good luck. Come back safely, do you hear me? Try not to get yourself killed. Don't go poking your head out where you shouldn't. No one's ever come back from a long-term stay in that house alive. I really don't want you to become just another statistic. Keep the record clean, Hector. Someone will stop by tomorrow with more supplies and information."

Hector rolled his eyes. "Yes, mom," he said teasingly. "My ride's waiting. See you when I get back, I guess."

Matthew waved and went back to organizing papers and answering the phone.

~*~

When Hector reached Pherae Manor, he thanked the driver and gave him some money before taking a deep breath and turning to face the dilapidated old house.

He took a step forward, keeping his eyes trained on the building in front of him. He stared at the door before wrapping a hand around the old-fashioned handle and pulling.

His first impression was that the house had not been cleaned for ages. He moved cautiously into the lobby, noting the dust resting on every possible surface and the cobwebs hanging from the corners of the room. The carpet expelled dust as he took a few steps towards the grand staircase, clouds rising around his boots.

He reached into his bag for one of the round cameras that Matthew had handed him, making his way over to one of the chairs. If anything out of the ordinary happened, in his opinion, this would be one of the most likely locations.

He climbed on and peeled the protective layer off of the adhesive tape before carefully positioning the camera so he could see the whole room. When he was sure that the camera could catch every movement in the room, he activated it with a flick of a button and then jumped down from the chair.

"Well, I guess I'd better find a room," he said aloud, hoping to banish the silence that had crept up on him unknowingly. He headed towards the spiral staircase, not knowing where else to look.

"You won't find any upstairs," a feminine voice stated.

Hector whirled. He hadn't heard or seen anyone since he had set foot in Pherae Manor. Had someone been watching him? "Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself!"

A girl with deep green hair and sparkling blue eyes melted into vision from the shadows. She was wearing a black T-shirt, baggy white jeans, and a sheathed sword, like Hector's. "My name is Lyn. The bedrooms are in the back, strangely. They've all been renovated, along with the bathrooms, but the rest of the house is still unstable, so watch your step."

"Hmm? How do you know this?"

"I arrived an hour ago," she said, brushing her ponytail away. "I've explored a little. Come on. I'll show you the way."

"Are you from Caelin City?" Hector asked as they began to walk.

"Yes…I'm doing a report on the vampire that supposedly lurks here." She brushed aside a curtain, holding it to the side so Hector could pass, and then let it fall back again. "Watch your step, the floorboards here are weak," she warned.

"Vampire?" Hector asked, following her around and wincing every time a board creaked. He was so glad for company in the creepy house that he didn't really care that his companion worked for his rival company anymore. It was better to have an ally, just in case he got in some kind of trouble.

"Yes, haven't you heard? Sure, people believe that it's a monster, but my boss told me that he got a special interview with one of the renovation workers that had quit after he spotted the 'monster' that was really a vampire, apparently. We're here," she announced. "My room is here. You can have the one next to me, if you want."

"My boss gave me some notes," Hector offered. "If you want, we could go over them together…"

Lyn shook her head. "I'll pass on that one," she said. "I've already gone over the history of the house and the mysteries and legend surrounding it. If you want, I could tell you about it instead of you reading all those notes," she suggested. "You don't look like the type that's into books."

"You're right about that one," Hector sighed with feeling. "That would be great, thanks."

"All right. You've already heard of the vampire. The bedrooms and bathrooms were renovated by one of the local construction companies. They sent a team of ten people in here. One was spooked and left after seeing the vampire. Kent got an interview with him. The others met mysterious deaths two days later. No wounds, no apparent cause of death. The vampire is, if nothing, efficient."

Hector felt a shiver crawl up his spine.

"Then, two teenage girls wandered in here during Halloween and they were found dead in the lobby by the next group that came in. Their bodies were also unmarked. Needless to say, they fled and no one's been in here since. The bodies are buried in the local cemetery."

But there was bitterness in her voice that indicated that she was leaving something out. "Are you…not telling me something?" Hector ventured.

She sighed and shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Well, if you say so," he said reluctantly. "I have cameras to put up. Do you want to come with me?"

"I've put some upstairs already," she said. "But I'll need to call Legault over to bring me some lockpicks, because most of the doors are locked. I'm starting to wonder what this house is hiding…"

"Well, you're efficient," Hector remarked. "That saved me a lot of trouble. But being alone in _this_ house really shakes me up. I could do it without you, but, if it's not too much trouble…"

Lyn smiled. "I'll do the first floor with you then."

~*~

By the time the sun was beginning to set, Lyn and Hector had set cameras in the kitchen, the lounge, their bedrooms, the library, the dining hall, the recreation room, and what appeared to be the living room. They had also aimed several cameras at doorways and previous sites of attacks.

Lyn looked up at the crystal chandelier hanging in the lobby. "That thing would be very easy to drop on us," she remarked. "It looks loose. Try not to get on the vampire's bad side, hmm? Either that or just walk around the chandelier every time."

Hector eyed her. "Do you _enjoy_ scaring me?" he growled.

She shrugged. "It's a form of amusement." She paused. "I suppose we'll do the basement tomorrow?" she asked in a hesitant tone.

Hector shivered. "I don't much like haunted basements," he confessed.

"Neither do I," Lyn said, with a slight smile. "But still, don't ghosts hang around the places that people go least? If anything happens, it's going to happen in the basement…"

"I don't like the thought of _anything_ happening at all while we're here," Hector muttered. "I'm sure you don't either."

"True," Lyn grinned. "But we'll get through it."

With that, she vanished into her room. Hector stared after her in slight disbelief before entering his own room to look for the food that he'd packed.

~*~

Long after the two of them fell asleep, a pair of glowing marine-blue eyes watched them on into the night…

~*~

[A/N]: Oh my God…*hides under the table* I can't believe I produced such a crappy piece of work…

Hector: -_- I am _not_ such a scaredy-cat.

Yami Kirbie: _;; Which is _why_ I am hiding. The blatant OOCness is kiling me! x_X

Erk: That's a good thing then.

Yami Kirbie: Shut up…

Erk: Am I going to be in this story?

Yami Kirbie: …Maybe? The Etruria people don't appear much, I don't think…but you _might_ come from Caelin City, seeing as how you were involved in the Caelin thing anyway…

Pent: What about _me_?

Yami Kirbie: Hopefully, Pent, hopefully.

To my knowledge, this is the first vampire fic to exist at all in the Fire Emblem section. If this plot is similar to any other vampire fics from any other sections…sorry, but I didn't plagiarize.

I suck at angst and horror and stuff. o_O Better at humor and HP/YGO crossovers. Sorry if I'm not living up to expectations. This is just a test chapter to see if FE fans like the idea of vampires. I'm not giving it a very good reputation, am I? @_@

Review please…kyaa…no flames.


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